The A7Siii has been one of the most hotly anticipated cameras of 2020.
Many people have been asking us about housing options for this camera, and we have finally got our hands on one.
Luckily, the housing fits perfectly in our existing A-PROii housings that are designed for use with the A7RiV and A9ii cameras.
We have these housings in stock, available now!
The BOOSTED housing allows for fitment of the battery grip, which is ideal for long sessions shooting video with the A7Siii.
Our A7Siii and housings are also available for rental from AUD200/day.
We have been secretly working with RED for the last few months to develop a dedicated surf housing for the exciting new KOMODO camera.
And we are stoked to announce that our KOMODO housings are now shipping, and are officially RED APPROVED!
RED were also kind enough to create a one of a kind, custom painted KOMODO, inspired by our custom painted housings.
We have two housing offerings for the KOMODO – the standard housing, and a compact offering.
Both housings accomodate the KOMODO camera with up to BP-975 sized batteries. The standard housing also fits the Atomos Shinobi monitor. The compact housing is designed to be used with an external monitor, or as a remotely rigged solution (using waterproof SDI cabling), or simply as a tiny housing using the top screen for image review.
If you are keen to get the KOMODO in the water our housings are shipping now!
We are also offering rentals of our KOMODO camera and housing, from AUD350/day.
We have two rental options available for RED DSMC2 cameras.
Our compact DSMC2 housing, and our DMSC2 I/O housing.
Both housings work with the Raven, Scarlet-W, Epic-W, Weapon, and DSMC2 (Gemini, Helium & Monstro) cameras.
The DSMC2 housing is great for action shots or where a compact housing is required.
The I/O housing provides opportunity for larger monitors and SDI output.
Both come with leak detection systems fitted, for peace of mind.
The I/O housing can be optioned with a SDI bulkhead and waterproof cabling, providing directors monitoring.
15m and 45m cables available.
Various ports, including Leica-R CINE-MOD available.
Rates from AUD500/day or $1500/week.
We now have an amazing set of Leica-R CINE-MOD EF mount lenses available for rental.
Leica Elmarit-R 24mm f2.8
Leica Summicron-R 35mm f2
Leica Summicron-R 50mm f2
Flat port with focus and iris control – suits Salty RED DSMC2 housings.
6 inch dome port with focus control – suits Salty RED DSMC2 housings.
These lenses have been CINE-MOD’d by Duclos lenses, which involves a Canon EF mount conversion, 0.8 module gears, declicked iris, and a 80mm front ring on all lenses.
We chose these 3 lenses because they all work in the same lens port on our RED housings.
Lenses available to rent individually or as a kit in a custom Pelican case.
Rates from AUD125/day/lens or AUD350/day/kit.
Email matt@saltysurfhousings.com for more info.
One of the most asked questions lately is ‘what fisheye can I use with the A7iii/A9’?
There are a handful of options out there, however in my opinion, at the moment there is no ‘perfect solution’.
If you are after the highest quality option, and have no budget constraints, then go for the Canon 8-15mm + Sigma MC-11 adapter.
If your budget can’t stretch for the 8-15mm, and you don’t think you will need autofocus, then the Rokinon 12mm f2.8 is a great option.
My top four options:
| Lens | Price | Pros | Cons | Salty Port |
| Sony FE 28mm + 16mm Fisheye Converter | US750 | Autofocus.
Relatively affordable. Gives you two lenses (16mm + 28mm) |
Quality concerns of converter.
Long and heavy with the converter. |
M-D6.3
M-D8.3 |
| Canon 8-15mm + Sigma MC-11 Adapter | US1400 | Canon ‘L’ quality.
Very fast autofocus. Circular and full frame fisheye options. |
Expensive.
Only slightly lighter and smaller than the 28mm + converter. |
M-D6.3
M-D8.3 |
| Rokinon/Samyang 12mm f2.8 | US500 | Cheap.
Good quality. |
Manual focus and manual aperture. | M-D6.1 + 25mm extension
M-D8.1 + 25mm extension |
| Rokinon 8mm f2.8 | US300 | Cheapest.
Super compact setup. |
Manual focus and manual aperture.
Only covers APSC size sensor. |
M-D4.1
M-D6.1 M-D8.1 |
The ultimate solution
If you want the highest quality fisheye lens, and budget isn’t of concern, then the Canon 8-15mm fisheye coupled with the Sigma MC-11 adapter is the ultimate solution. It is significantly more expensive than other options, however you may already have the 8-15mm if you are a recent ‘Canon to Sony’ convert, or you may be able to find a cheaper second hand one from someone also switching to mirrorless.
The 8-15mm range provides opportunities to shoot circular, as well as 180 degree full frame fisheye. The autofocus is amazingingly fast, even though it is not a native Sony lens. It fits perfectly in our M-D6.3 dome port.
This is my personal setup, mostly because I also use the lens on my RED Scarlet-W camera for video/cinema work.
Why not the Rokinon lenses?
The Rokinon/ Samyang fisheye lenses are definitely an enticing option at the low price point. However the downside to these lenses is that they are manual focus, and manual aperture only.
The 8mm is a really nice compact option, however only covers the APSC sensor size, meaning you won’t be taking advantage of the full frame sensor size of the A7iii/A9. However it is the smallest lens of the options, meaning it will give you the most compact setup in a housing.
Historically, fisheye is shot in manual focus, mostly to give you reliable results. However, with the speed and accuracy of autofocus on the new Sony A7iii and A9 cameras, focus reliability is less of a concern that it was 5 years ago.
The difficulty with manual focus, is that your focus point needs to be set before you close your housing. This limits you in the style of shots during that session. This is because when shooting underwater you need to focus differently to focusing above water (the reason is a whole other lesson in itself – Google “dome port virtual image”).
So, if you have your focus point set for shooting above water and you want to shoot underwater in the same session, all your underwater shots will be out of focus. An autofocus lens obviously overcomes these issues.
Wide Angle Alternatives
If fisheye isn’t your thing, but still want to shoot wide with your full-frame Sony camera, there are a handful of wide angle lenses. In order of my personal preference:
- Sony 12-24mm (requires the larger STANDARD port system)
- Sony 10-18mm (No vignetting in full frame mode at 14-16mm)
- Sony 16-35mm (not super wide, but is super versatile with the reach to 35mm).
- Laowa 12mm f2.8 Zero-D
There are a few other fisheye and wide angle options out there, however I have not tested them so cannot comment on them. These include the old school Canon 15mm fisheye + MC-11, and a couple of Sigma EF fisheye option + MC-11.
Do you have any other recommendations for fisheye or wide angle on a Sony full-frame camera? Email matt@saltysurfhousings.com, and I can include them in this article.
The Sony A7iii is the ultimate bang-for-buck camera you can buy in 2018.
Well, that’s pretty much all you need to know, but I guess you might want to know why I think this.
The A7iii offers a full frame sensor, high frames per second shooting, and 4K video all at a relatively affordable price, all packed into a compact & lightweight camera body. This puts it high on the list of surf photography suitable cameras.
Features
- Compact body. Compared with traditional DSLR cameras (like the Canon 5D) the A7iii is tiny! This is great for shooting in the water when coupled with a compact housing.
- Battery life. The A7iii uses the new NP-FZ100 batteries. The battery life of the A6X00 and A7ii was one of the biggest let-down of these cameras. The new batteries offer approximately 2.2x the battery life compared with the A6X00/A7ii. More than enough for a solid swim, or a couple of sessions shooting from the beach.
- Full-frame. The full-frame ‘look’. Better low-light performance, more depth of view, wider field of view, when compared with a crop sensor camera.
- 10fps shooting. You might fill up a card quickly, but you will have plenty of choices picking the best shot when capturing the fast paced action.
A7iii Housings
The A7iii shares the same basic camera body as the A9 and A7Riii, so works perfectly in our A9 housing.
As such, we have decided to rename this housing to our ‘ɑ-PRO’ housing.
We have two options for housings:
- ɑ-PRO standard housing – suits A9, A7(x)iii cameras
- ɑ-PRO BOOSTED housing – suits A9, A7(x)iii cameras with the battery grip.
The standard housing is super compact, and amazingly light!
The BOOSTED housing offers a crazy amount of battery power in the water, probably more than you could swim in one session. However, I personally shoot with the BOOSTED housing for a few reasons:
- Add a 128GB card and you can shoot multiple sessions without removing the camera from the housing.
- The ODI Vans side handle, offers added stability (and looks bad-ass!).
- Better balanced with larger lenses. Using Sony GM lenses means larger ports that often overshadow the standard housing. The larger BOOSTED housing offers a more balanced setup, yet is still compact compared with other manufacturers housing offerings.
What makes our housings different to other manufacturers?
- Compact, form fitting design – not a ‘one size fits all’ approach
- On/Off switch
- Custom paint options
- Multiple port options, including ports for 12-24mm, 16-35mm and 70-200mm
- 20m depth rating
Here is a photo, sent to us by one of our customers.
This shows our ɑ-PRO BOOSTED housing (right) next to another manufacturer’s standard A9 housing (left)
Camera Alternatives
If you have more cash to splash around, you might consider the A9 or the A7Riii.
The A7Riii offers an insane 42MP, whilst the A9 provides 20fps and blackout free EVF shooting.
If the budget does not stretch to the A7iii, consider an A6500 (or the even cheaper A6000 or A6300).
Conclusion
The Sony A7iii is a relatively affordable camera, that has professional level features suitable for surf photography.
If you are looking to take your shooting to the next level, or simply want to downsize from a DSLR, the A7iii is one of your best options on the market today.
There’s a variety of housings on the market available for the A7iii, of which will all also suit the A7Riii or A9 should you ever want to upgrade in the future.
Keeping water drops off your ports is essential in shooting good photos or video with your housing. One stray water drop can ruin the shot, so it is important to implement appropriate method of keeping your port clear.
There are two popular methods for water drop free shots; wet port and dry port.
Wet Port
Wet port is the easiest method, and refers to keep a thin, consistent layer of water on acrylic element of the port. This is best done by using the spit technique.
Before you enter the water:
- Ensure your port is free of dust and debris.
- Spit on your port and lick it, as to spread the spit evenly over the entire acrylic element.
- Let the spit semi-dry before entering the water. This usually takes 5-10 minutes.
In the water:
- Dunk the housing and then lick the port, as to remove any large spots of spit stuck to the port. Your port should now look clear.
- Hold your housing underwater until just before you want to take a shot. As you lift the housing out of the water there will be a thin layer of water sticking to the front of the port.
- Shoot!
- Return the housing to the water and wait for the next opportunity for a shot.
Quick Tips:
- The performance of the spit technique will depend on what you have eaten or drunk before you shoot. Eating an apple or chewing a mint will help give your spit the right consistency for good results. I know one photographer who has a compartment dedicated to Mentos mints in his camera bag.
- Spit and lick your port before hopping into your wetsuit and before loading your camera into the housing. This will give sufficient time for the spit to dry before you are ready to enter the water.
- If you have let the spit semi-dry before entering the water you should not need to constantly lick the port throughout your session.
- Do not use your fingers to spread the spit around as you will introduce unwanted oils from your skin onto the port.
Dry Port
Dry port refers to keeping your lens port completely free of water.
So, how are you supposed to keep your port dry if you are swimming in water!? Well, it is quite a tedious task, particularly if you are constantly diving under waves. However, once you practice it a few times you will get the hang of it and the results will speak for themselves.
Before you enter the water:
- Apply a small amount of unscented candle wax to the acrylic and buff it in using a clean, dry cloth. You want to buff it sufficiently so you don’t see a haze of candle wax. The port should look clear.
In the water:
- Lift the port out of the water and then use a squeegee to wipe away any water drops.
- Shoot!
Quick Tips:
- I use a 3M Squeegee, which can be purchased from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/3M-Applicator-Squeegee-PA1-B-Blue/dp/B00657SFPE/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1523232375&sr=8-3&keywords=3m+squeegee
- You can also use a window cleaner style squeegee, which is commonly available for purchase at your local supermarket or hardware store.
- Punch a hole in the squeegee and attach it to your housing leash or on your spare hand with a short tether so you don’t loose it in the water.
So which method do you use?
It is best to experiment with both methods and find what gives you the best and most reliable results. These tips are based on what I have tried and tested in my 15 years of shooting surf photography and may not work for everyone.
My rule of thumb is:
Wet port method for dome ports, and flat ports when shooting with focal lengths <50mm.
Dry port method for flat ports when shooting focal lengths =>50mm.
Examples:
- 8mm fisheye / 6 inch dome port = wet port method
- 25mm wide angle / flat port = wet port method
- 85mm / flat port = dry port method
- 70-200mm = dry port method
Some people swear by the dry port technique when using a flat port, even with wider lenses. And yet, some people swear by the wet port technique even when using longer telephoto lenses. So, simply use these tips as a starting guide, and experiment to find what works best for you with the lenses you shoot with, and the conditions you shoot in.